David Luiz Provides Update on His Arsenal Future

David Luiz was astonishingly bad on Wednesday night.
David Luiz was astonishingly bad on Wednesday night. / Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images
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It's pretty fair to say that David Luiz didn't have a good game on Wednesday night in what was Arsenal's first game back from the Coronavirus enforced break.

Actually, it's pretty fair to say that Luiz had the worst individual performance in the Premier League this season on Wednesday night.

In just 30 minutes on the pitch at the Etihad Stadium, the Brazilian centre back managed to slice a clearance into the path of Raheem Sterling for City's first goal, pull to down Riyad Mahrez in the box to gift wrap City's second goal for Kevin De Bruyne. Oh, and he also was sent off.

It wasn't a great night for Luiz
It wasn't a great night for Luiz / Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images

So yes, bad at the office for David Luiz.

And after that bad night at the office, Luiz was asked about his Arsenal future. The defender's contract at the Emirates Stadium is set to run out at the end of June, after contract negotiations over a renewal reportedly stalled.

Speaking to Sky Sports (via James Olley), Luiz suggested that he regrets not making a decision on his future prior to the COVID-19 crisis - a crisis which has put serious financial strain on football clubs across the country:

“I should have taken a different decision in the last two months. I didn’t. It was all about my contract, if I stay here or not....to try to decide as early as possible [my future] but I didn’t."

He then went on to state that he wants to commit his future to the club, and Mikel Arteta - the club's current manager - wants him to too:

“I love to be here, that’s why I continue to train hard, that’s why I came here today, that’s why I say to all the players ‘nobody needs to speak, I have to show my face’. I want to stay, the coach wants me to stay. We are waiting for the decision.”

Arteta is said to want Luiz at the club beyond this season
Arteta is said to want Luiz at the club beyond this season / PETER POWELL/Getty Images

The apparent hold up is therefore on the club's end. Luiz currently earns well north of £100,000 per week (which is a bit unbelievable after Wednesday night's debacle) - a salary which Arsenal will likely be less willing to be to a player in his 30s in the post-coronavirus football economy.